Suspension, steering gear, and braking gear for automobiles



Feb. 26, 1929. 1,703,792

P. SPlRE ET AL SUSPENSION, STEERING GEAR, AND BRAKING GEAR FORAUTOMOBILES T 72 :2 Z J2 Filed Sept. 18, 1.926

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J L'erI-e S in, and Lucien 2902237! B, M

AZZcr-ney Patented Feb. 26, 1929.

UNITED STATES PIERRE SPIRE AND L UCIE-ll" ROLLAND, OF ROANNE, FRANCE.

SUSPENSION, STEERING GEAR, AND BRAKING GEAR- FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Application filed September 18, 1926, Serial The present inventionrefers to a steering gearf for automobiles.

It is known that the mountingeach pair of wheels on a common 5 axleleads to many drawbacks, one of which is the weight of the unsuspendedparts, and

- another the fact that the steering angle is somewhat dependent uponthe angle between the axle and the frame. This is a source of 1 strains.in the steering gear and may cause a break.

It has also been wheels separately, proposed have b complicated.

According to the present invention, the wheels are suspended separately,and each one is supported by two parallel levers which form anarticulated parallelogram. The steering angle is controlled by a rod,which connects two equal and parallel levers, one of which'is sup ortedby the frame, the other one being rigid with the bearing which supportsthe journal of the wheel.

The annexed drawings diagrammatically show a device according to theinvention.

higure l is a side elevation in which the brakes and their gearing areomitted for the sake of clearness;

Fig. 2 is a. front view;

ig. 3 is a plan View; Fig. 4 is a diagram representing the working.

The wheel a is dis 35 and is supported by tegral with or ri the latterbein The axis of pi Ordinary method of sought to suspend the but thedevices hitherto een uncertain and somewhat posed in a vertical plane ajournal 6 which'is ingidly secured to a pivot c,

g supported by a gearing (Z.

vot c is supposed to be vertical,

but this is not necessary. Bearing (Z is pro- 40 vided with two paralleljournals 6 and f which are approximately perpendicular to the plane ofthe wheel. The frame 9 is 'provided with two bearings it and i the axesof which are parallel, the distance between these axes being equal tothe distance between the axes of the parallel journals 6 and f.

The articulated parallelogram mentioned above is formed by two equallevers Z and m provided at one end with journals k and 7', re-

sncctively, engaging the bearings h and i of the frame, and articulatedat the other end on the journals 6 and 7. These levers Z and m are notdisposed perpendicularly to the axes of parts 6, h. and i (see Fig. 3)in order to permit a. sufficient steering angle of the wheels.

No. 136,324,- and in France September 22, 1925.

j is keyed a lever nwhich is y a spring as or the like which inasticsuspension of the car. has alever 0 connected to it, and frame 9 isprovided with a bearing 1) the axis of which is, parallel to the axis ofpivot c and is located in the vertical plane of the axes of bearings itand 2'. An axle g is rotatable in bearing p and is provided with a lever1" equal in length to and parallel with lever 0. Levers 0 and 1' areconnected by a rod 8, and the position of lever 7' is such that theprojection. of rod 8 on a plan of the parts 0, f, jection on this s ucha plane i ig. 1.

The parallelogram formed by the levers Z and m supports the car by theaction of springs or the like on lever n. Steering is effected by aconventional mechanism S which is connected at opposite sides of the carwith two levers t which are themselves rigidly attached to the axles g;the latter being .connected through the levers r and 0 and rods 8 to thepivots c which serve to swing the wheels a.

Pig. 4 is a projection on a ular to the axes Un journal acted upon bsures the el rivot 0 h and z is parallel to t ame plane of levers Z andm. s, for instance, the plane of plane perpendicof parts e, f, h and 2'.AB is the projection of lever Z,CU is the projection of lever m, EF isthe projection of rod 8, FG is the projection of lever 0 and EH is theprojection of lever 7'. The normal position is represented in fulllines, and the dotted lines represent the position when the wheel hasbeen raised by an inequality on the road.

As indicated above, the projection EF of rod 8 is parallel to theprojections AB and CD of levers Z and m in the normal position. Levers 0and 1" being equal and parallel, EH and FG are equal and parallel. EFGHis, therefore, a parallelo ram and FE=GH. As FE is parallel with D andAB, GH is also parallel with CDand AB, and CDGH is a parallelogram. CDis, therefore, equal to GH and to EF.

It is now assumed that the parts move into the position shown in dottedlines and that the rod 8 being taken off the wheel is given exactly thesame one ntation as in the first position. Lever 0 is then ina positionparallel to its normal position, and its projection F'G' w ll be equaland parallel to FG and EH. As ABCD is an articulated parallelogram, ACis parallel and equal to A'C and therefore FGEll is a parallelogram. 14F

e perpendicular to the axes he pro- 9 HG='CD=CD, and, as CD=EF, EF= EF.When the steering angle is constant, the length EF remains constant.Conversely, with the provision of rod 8, the length EF is l maintainedconstant and the steering angler remains constant, which is the purposeof the invention. s F

We claim as our invention A steering gear for automobiles and the Hlike, comprising, in combination, a suspension by articulatedparallelogram, a lever fixed to the pivot which supports thevwheel,

a lever fixed to an axle supported by the frame, said levers being equaland parallel, and a rod connecting said levers, the projection of saidrod on iaplane perpendicular to the axes of articulation of saidparallelogram being equal and arallel to the projections on the sameplane o the levers forming the sides of said articulated parallelogram.

In testimony whereof We aflix our signatures. PIERRE SPIRE;

[1,. 8.] v LUCIEN HOLLAND.

